PHILADELPHIA—"Our agreement to allow a return to school buildings is based on adherence to a stringent set of protocol. We have been, and continue to, hold the District accountable to adhering to these critical health and safety protocol.
"We need an ongoing, trackable database of positive COVID-19 cases in buildings, and have made this ask of the District. Anecdotally, we have learned from our membership that efforts to trace cases are delayed. This is unacceptable.
"The District must immediately address their notification and tracing protocol and must provide a standardized reporting mechanism, including a publicly accessible dashboard.
"There is no room for error when mitigating COVID. Testing, notification, and tracing--along with the ongoing vaccination efforts-- are key elements of a multilayered mitigation strategy. Additionally, the District must double down on its efforts to ensure mask compliance. We have been to far too many locations where mask compliance is very problematic.
"We want to make sure that when school buildings open they can remain open. We will continue to work tirelessly to safeguard the health and safety of every student and staff member."
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